Chapter 76 This is a bar...

Several hours later, Hu Tiehua regained consciousness.

He opened his eyes and looked around. The curtains in the hall had already been drawn, and it was pitch black and quiet, with only the faint light of the breathing lights on the walls.

Hu Tiehua's mind was not yet fully clear. At this moment, his curiosity surged and he couldn't help but get up and curiously go over to take a look. After the novelty wore off, he slumped back onto the table weakly.

I drank way too much today. It was the first time I'd ever seen so many kinds of alcohol that I'd never heard of before. Before I knew it, I was so drunk that I lost consciousness.

But it must be said that he was really addicted to this state of deep intoxication.

If he were to experience that again, at the cost of losing his senses for several hours without any warning, Hu Tiehua would probably still choose to enjoy himself first.

After his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could clearly see the interior of the room; there was no one else there except him.

Remembering that the little girl hadn't told him about his room before bed, and fearing he might go to the wrong place if he looked for it himself, Hu Tiehua stopped being so picky about his sleeping environment.

So I searched the room for a place to lie down.

The table had plenty of space, but there were too many empty wine bottles, making it a hassle to clean up. His gaze wandered around for a while before finally settling on the sofa chair in front of the computer desk.

Almost the instant he lay down, the soft touch lulled him back to sleep.

Because she drank less, Lu Yusheng woke up much earlier than Hu Tiehua. When she turned her head and saw the soft moonlight seeping in through the window, she sat up with a start.

How did it suddenly jump from evening to late at night?

—The door to the hall was closed, but it wasn't locked.

Recalling this detail, she jogged over, carefully locked the door, and tightly drew the curtains. Then, still feeling a little dizzy, she went upstairs.

Actually, with Lu Yusheng's current strength, moving an adult man might not be easy for her, but it's not impossible.

However, she was still dizzy at the time, and after a few busy moments, she naturally forgot about Hu Tiehua.

So when Lu Yusheng woke up in the morning and habitually yawned as he walked down the stairs, he was taken aback to see Hu Tiehua sleeping soundly in the lobby.

Last night's memories suddenly returned, and she felt a little annoyed at her oversight. Embarrassed, she moved closer, wanting to quietly wake him up so he could go upstairs to sleep.

Hu Tiehua woke up when she heard Lu Yusheng's footsteps, and when she heard Lu Yusheng's call, she opened her already clear eyes.

Seeing that the other person woke up after only a couple of calls, Lu Yusheng breathed a slight sigh of relief and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I was drunk last night and forgot to wake you up."

The latter immediately sat up, having rested all night, and his dizziness had long since subsided.

He waved his hand and replied, "It's nothing. It's warm in the hall, and I slept quite comfortably."

Lu Yusheng secretly rejoiced that he was dizzy enough before leaving that he hadn't remembered to turn off the air conditioner.

She quickly asked again, "It's still early, I'll go prepare breakfast. Do you want to go upstairs and sleep a little longer? The room has been cleaned, is it okay if you stay in the same room as before?"

Hu Tiehua accepted the room but declined the suggestion to catch up on sleep, and didn't realize that they should go make breakfast together, so she stayed in the room.

The lobby was warm but also boring. After looking around, Hu Tiehua's gaze finally settled on the familiar computer behind the bar. He remembered the "strategy" game he used to play.

Recalling the subtle malice hidden beneath that girl's pretty face, Hu Tiehua felt an itch in her heart and hands, so she subconsciously followed her instincts and turned on the computer in the way she remembered.

The familiar startup screen brought his thoughts back to the past, making him feel as if he had never left these past few months.

The positions of the various software programs on the desktop remained unchanged. After opening the beautifully written icon, Hu Tiehua finally saw her long-lost virtual lover.

Meanwhile, Chu Liuxiang, now sober from his hangover, had been searching for Hu Tiehua for six days.

Hu Tiehua had been reunited with him after a long separation, but after seeing his spirited demeanor despite his travel-worn appearance, and after they got drunk together, her worries disappeared, and she felt at ease leaving the desert.

Now that the world is so vast, Chu Liuxiang has returned to the state where he didn't know where to go before.

He certainly wouldn't retrace his steps, but he couldn't ignore the whereabouts of that madwoman.

As Chu Liuxiang recalled the places he had visited in the future, he picked out several locations with important clues. He felt that he had asked too hastily on his first trip and that he could explore them further to perhaps gain some insights.

If we go in order, the last one is that little shop outside Hangzhou city.

...Logically speaking, there are only two people in the shop now, so breakfast doesn't need to be too lavish.

Lu Yusheng had been living here alone for two days. Although he wasn't lonely, he couldn't help but worry when he thought about the theft. Having more people around would always provide more security.

So they were reluctant to let Hu Tiehua leave, thinking that if they treated him well, they might be able to persuade him to stay for a couple more days, so they put in a lot more effort.

She dared not throw away the milk, so she made two bowls of soup with eggs and boiling water, sprinkled pepper on top for seasoning. It didn't look very appetizing, but it was still edible.

Because I didn't get up early, and there wasn't time to make other complicated meals, I used shredded pork with green peppers as a topping and made two bowls of thin noodles that I had made by hand a couple of days ago.

After boiling, I also fried a few shiny eggs. In winter, the supply of various fruits and vegetables is much less, so I can only be thankful that at least chickens lay eggs all year round.

When it was served, Hu Tiehua's eyes lit up, and after picking up two chopsticks and putting them in his mouth, he praised it highly.

"I never expected that Boss Lu's cooking skills would be so amazing when he doesn't use the 'wok hei' (wok aroma) technique."

"So what if I make you throw up once?" Lu Yusheng thought to himself, gritting his teeth. "You're being so humiliating."

Despite thinking this, she felt equally bored after cleaning up the dishes, so after looking around, she still eagerly went to watch Hu Tiehua play games from behind.

This game was definitely worth watching.

In just a short while, she felt that many of her previous doubts had been resolved.

—The character that appears at the starting point after the plot loads is none other than Lu Yusheng's favorite little angel, "Huixue".

Seeing this beautiful girl who had once brought her so much warmth and amazement, Lu Yusheng was also stunned, and suddenly became even more interested in watching the changing conversation on the screen.

She intentionally reminisced about the good old days while watching others play games. It just so happened that Hu Tiehua still had difficulty reading simplified Chinese texts and didn't turn pages quickly, which made it even easier for her to peek at him from the side.

"Have you not had lunch yet?"

—【How did you know?】

[Huixue gave a slightly mischievous smile and tilted her head: "Because I told you, I've been watching you... It's really unfair of them to keep dumping all the work on you!"]

Hu Tiehua clicked the mouse expressionlessly, letting these few heartwarming conversations pass by indifferently in his eyes.

When Lu Yusheng saw that he had refused Huixue's offer to help him tidy up his studio, he secretly praised him for his gentlemanly manners.

When the next scene came where Huixue shyly offered the heart-shaped bento she had made herself, his finger, unusually ruthless, selected "Reject" from the two options that popped up.

Seeing that the little angel's second invitation, which he still refused, was rejected, Lu Yusheng finally realized that he hadn't accidentally clicked the wrong button or anything; he simply wanted to refuse.

She could no longer bear to look at Huixue's tearful face on the screen, and fell into deep thought as she stared at the back of Hu Tiehua's head.

This wasn't the first time. In the short time she'd been watching, Huixue's storyline had seen her reject almost every direct invitation she received.

Even though the text displayed after choosing to refuse in the game was relatively gentle, I was disappointed every time. Even though the little angel was very persistent and even being rejected increased my affection points, the total amount was still outrageously low.

Could it be...

Is this someone with a strong heart who specializes in creating bad endings?!

However, the next second, as the storyline involving Huixue came to an end, Hu Tiehua's reaction to the arrogant young lady Wenxuan completely dispelled her suspicions.

First, he was ordered around by her to do a bunch of errands, and then in the next scene in the mall, he was even carrying the young lady's bag while paying the bill.

Watching Hu Tiehua repeatedly select himself as the payer on the screen, Lu Yusheng almost began to feel sorry for the dwindling virtual currency in the account bar in the upper right corner of the screen.

But now I finally understand why the most difficult character to win over also has the highest affection level with him.

Is this a strategy genius deliberately taking on a high-difficulty character?

At this moment, only one person in the scene is nearing the end of their enjoyable shopping trip.

The player-controlled protagonist finally received a men's razor from the young lady after a whole day of hard work serving her, a gift from a shopping mall clerk because she had reached a certain spending threshold.

Even the narration explicitly uses negative adjectives to describe the protagonist as "slightly unhappy," "reluctant," and "reluctantly accepting."

Hu Tiehua, whom she regarded as a high-level strategy master, merely touched the stubble on his chin with a hint of melancholy, unconsciously muttering, "It is getting a bit long..."

Lu Yusheng left, his brows furrowed as he went.

She couldn't stand it anymore; in the past twenty years, she had rarely felt so frustrated watching others play games.

Chu Liuxiang, who was gradually closing in, continued to speed along the way. In order to avoid missing his target, he had been trying his best to catch up since the day he set off.

To avoid wasting time changing horses along the way, they relied solely on their light-footed skills to travel.

However, he harbored no resentment towards Hu Tiehua's escape, and even felt a sense of nostalgia for the past.

Unfortunately, no matter how fast his lightness skill was, it couldn't be used as a high-speed train. He still needed to rest eventually. In addition, he passed through a place he had previously suspected, and the investigation took up some time.

Therefore, even though he was on the right track and his speed was not slow, he still arrived at the small building that Hu Tiehua had visited three days later.

"He truly is a drunkard."

As the new day began, the two, who were playing games in different locations, both turned their heads toward the door upon hearing the sound. Hu Tiehua had already noticed, but her expression remained unchanged. Lu Yusheng, however, stood up somewhat excitedly.

Chu Liuxiang looked at the several empty wine bottles on the table and shook his head helplessly again: "When I came last time, Miss Lu hadn't even started selling wine yet."

Hu Tiehua couldn't hold back any longer. He rushed over and punched him on the shoulder, and they both burst into laughter.

This was because he was his brother, and even though he was someone who deliberately caused him trouble, he was still happy to see him.

He bumped fists with Chu Liuxiang and then embraced him, showing no trace of conflict or estrangement.

After the two stopped their affectionate chatter, Chu Liuxiang took the initiative to greet Lu Yusheng, who had approached them.

"Boss Lu, it's been a long time."

The latter, with a slightly embarrassed expression, also responded.

Hu Tiehua had only stayed here for three days when Chu Liuxiang, who was "capturing" him, caught up with her, leaving her unsure of which side to help.

Fortunately, the two seemed to be getting along well and had no animosity towards each other; otherwise, she would have been unable to make a decision if she had to choose sides among the guests.

Lu Yusheng was still conflicted, but Hu Tiehua had already introduced him to her in a very generous way: "This old scoundrel is my best brother. Little Lu, bring more wine. We must drink to our hearts' content today."

Chu Liuxiang shook his head and chuckled: "Are you planning to use the same trick on me twice?"

Hu Tiehua did not refute this, but picked up the wine bottle on the table, which was almost empty, and held it up to his brother's eyes.

Chu Liuxiang's nose naturally couldn't smell the aroma of the wine, but he could guess from Hu Tiehua's raised eyebrows that it must be a rare and fine wine.

He raised an eyebrow, took the bottle, and drank from the mouth of the bottle.

"How about it?" Hu Tiehua had gotten the feedback he wanted from his expression, and laughed loudly with a hint of smugness: "These are all good wines that you can't find anywhere else. Even if it really is a trap, I don't believe you won't fall in after you take this sip."

During his stay, he would ask Lu Yusheng to buy two bottles of wine he hadn't tried before every day. Since the day he got drunk, he hadn't repeated a single bottle, which told him how extensive her wine collection must be.

Since she had never seen the cellar or dark room where she stored the wine, Hu Tiehua didn't have high expectations for the quantity, thinking it would be no more than a hundred or eighty bottles.

But if all 180 bottles were varieties he had never tried before, then it would be quite surprising.

If Lu Yusheng knew his guess at this moment, he would definitely say that it was a conservative estimate.

If he has some grand ambition to taste all kinds of wine in the world, then this one store alone would probably be enough for him to achieve half of his KPI.

The novelty of the drinks alone was so intense that it was no wonder he came twice, Chu Liuxiang thought to himself.

After savoring the lingering taste in his mouth, even he couldn't help but feel a little tempted.

But he didn't forget to shout loudly, "Please trouble you, Boss Lu, to bolt the door for us first, and it would be best to add several more traps to lock this drunkard and me up tightly."

Lu Yusheng was right behind him and knew that this was specifically for Hu Tiehua to hear. After several conversations, she could tell that the two had a good relationship, so she couldn't help but laugh and agree.